We’ve put our best road testers’ heads together to nail down the best cars for every occassion
Attachment is a phenomenon that Autocar road testers habitually have to keep at arm’s length.
Because cars that are objectively good — that show careful consideration in design and execution, have strengths in all the right areas and are therefore easy to recognise and recommend — aren’t always the cars that appeal to one personally. Because there’s an important difference between rating a car and simply liking it. We’re all human, but we reviewers have to be careful to keep tabs on our own preferences and prioritise those of the particular target customer in question.
Not for the next few pages, though. The Autocar Top 50 is where this magazine’s regular reviewers drop their guard and simply let the praise flow for the cars we just happen to like. Those we feel inclined towards, for no reason necessarily other than just because. Those we might even spend our own hard-earned on.
Editor-at-large Matt Prior, contributor James Disdale and road test denizens Richard Lane, Matt Saunders and Illya Verpraet have each picked his own favourite new car to answer a particular brief, and each has explained why he has chosen it over the coming pages. From the best car you’ve never heard of to the best daily driver to the best Oscars-night luxury grand tourer, these categories challenge them to identify cars for a wide range of roles and requirements, but their reasons for picking them are entirely their own.
So if you’ve ever wondered what new car an Autocar road tester would pick for themselves in 2026 for this job or that, read on to find out. Or to jump to a specific class of car, click one of the links below:
Best sports cars
Porsche 718 Boxster: Still the best chassis in the small sports car business
The 718, in both Boxster and Cayman (right) forms, is such a dying breed that they’ve had to keep it alive. Porsche intended to replace the Boxster with a pure-electric model, but such is the continued demand for petrol Porsches (even though cooking versions of the Boxster and Cayman have the under-loved four-cylinder engines) that the company has had to spend a massive amount of money on a total rethink on the combustion-powered sports car. No shock: the 718s are the best of them, with steering and chassis capability that’s the equal of anything. They’re among the most fun cars in the world, at any price.
Spec highlights Porsche 718 Boxster, £55,800, 296bhp, 280lb ft, 0-62mph 4.9sec, top speed 171mph, 31.7mpg
Mazda MX-5: Light, small, rear-driven, manual the definitive sports car – and reasonably priced
Every time I’ve driven an MX-5, it’s been a highlight of the year, as a reset from overcomplicated, numb cars that are too big and have boring automatic gearboxes. It’s a permanent fixture that brings joy to life, a bit like David Attenborough. There should be a day of mourning if it ever goes away.
The MX-5 is the essence of a sports car. It’s just right in every way. You can tell in everything it does that it was engineered and designed by enthusiasts who wanted to own one themselves. You can potter about in it and have a great time. Dropping or raising the roof takes only 10 seconds, because no motors are involved. The super-mechanical manual gearbox is possibly the best there is and the pedals are weighted just so that you never wish for an automatic, even when stuck in traffic. It’s not just some convertible cruiser (although it can be if you want it to be): it has steering to die for and rear-driven balance for days. No matter your skill level, the MX-5 never fails to entertain.
Spec highlights Mazda MX-5 2.0 Skyactiv-G Exclusive-Line, £33,565, 181bhp, 151lb ft, 0-62mph 6.5sec, top speed 136mph, 41.5mpg
Caterham Seven: Classic front-engined handling without the touring-related ballast. Just perfection
All sports cars leave a synaptic memory, a kind of sensory after-image, but I don’t believe any of them leaves one as defined as that of the Caterham Seven. It doesn’t especially matter which version you drive. Once you’ve experienced the feeling of a Seven’s de Dion back axle seemingly fused to your coccyx, the notchy, short throw of the gearlever and the impossible lack of inertia as you pull off the mark, you’ll never forget it. It’s a more recognisable and frankly thrilling sensation than that which any zillion-pound hypercar can impart, and I’d suggest that this applies as much to the limit handling as to pootling.
In the coming years, Caterham will have commercial complications to work through, just like everybody else. A reliable supply of engines and regulatory pressures are just two of the concerns. But for now its model range is healthy, and my pick is the Seven 360, with its 180bhp 2.0-litre Ford Duratec four, 560kg kerb weight and sub-£40,000 asking price (yes, Caterhams have become more expensive in recent years, just like everything else). Add the R Pack for the lightweight flywheel and limited-slip differential and you’ll get perhaps the Platonic ideal of a driver’s car: everything you need and nothing you don’t.
What makes these cars so unbelievably fun is their balance of razor-sharp response and forgiving handling. You’d think that a flyweight roadster with narrow tracks would be snappy (and in the wet I would indeed advise caution in a fruitier Seven), but the perfection of the long- leg, short-arm driving position and the ability of the chassis to communicate what’s unfolding underwheel essentially to the millisecond mean liberties can be taken and handling larks had in relative security. For a sports car that truly allows you to feel part of the machine, just as Colin Chapman intended, I’d look no further than a Seven.
Spec highlights Caterham Seven 360R, £39,490, 180bhp, 143lb ft, 0-62mph 4.8sec, top speed 130mph
Porsche 718 Cayman: As a do-everything sports car, the Cayman is about as good as it gets
There’s no doubt that Porsche is in a bit of a pickle right now, with profit warnings and product delays. Flip-flopping legislation is partly to blame, forcing Weissach’s bigwigs to put a number of electric cars on, ahem, ICE. Yet whatever path the company takes next, there’s one certainty: we’re unlikely to see cars like the 718 Cayman again. Even now, as Porsche prepares to pull the plug, the beautifully balanced, 10-year-old coupé still sets the standard for driving engagement, dynamic excellence and everyday civility. In 4.0-litre six-cylinder GTS form, it might just be one of the greatest driver’s cars of all time. Get one now, before it’s too late. JD
Spec highlights Porsche 718 Cayman 4.0 GTS, £80,205, 395bhp, 310lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 182mph, 25.9mpg
Lotus Emira: Has enough noise, attitude, involvement and purity to shade a supercar, so who cares if it’s not quite supercar-fast?
Great sports cars are inseparable from the places and roads that thinking of them takes you to. Because they’re for driving: made for it, defined by it, entirely for its own sake. Thinking of the Lotus Emira V6 takes me to the wiggling moorland road across the North Pennines where, when it arrived on the market in 2022, we twin tested it against the 4.0-litre Porsche Cayman GTS. There was a clinically perfect poise and an all but flawless completeness about the 718 that day that demanded ultimate recognition, which is why it won the test, but the Lotus had the rawer, purer, more vivid and exciting drive. It lost the test but ruled that road – and, in my mind, it still does.
Spec highlights Lotus Emira V6, £96,500, 400bhp, 310lb ft, 0-62mph 4.3sec, top speed 180mph, 25.2mpg
Best family cars
Peugeot 308: A finely resolved ride and handling balance gives it real Gallic charm
There’s nothing glamorous about the 308. It doesn’t try to project an image of exotic and exhilarating lifestyle pursuits, all raised ride height and tough body cladding. No, it simply goes about its business of being a sensible five-door family hatchback without any pomp or pretence. And it’s all the better for it. More to the point, it serves as a welcome reminder of why C-segment hatchbacks used to be the lifeblood of UK sales charts. They’re cars that offer just about enough of everything that most people actually need in terms of space, performance, comfort and refinement while remaining affordable to buy, run and maintain.
If that sounds dull, then so be it: most of the time, most people just want a car to be a car. Yet what makes the 308 truly stand out is that it does all the sensible stuff almost as effortlessly as any of its rivals while throwing in an extra dollop of driver appeal. It acts as a reminder that Peugeot still knows its stuff when it comes to delivering dynamic poise and panache.
Like the firm’s best efforts from the past, the 308 drives with a welcome fluidity, the suspension managing that rare trick of soaking up imperfections while also offering finely controlled support when carving through bends. It’s a magical ride and handling balance that the French always used so well, and it’s a delight to find that at least one of the country’s brands has rediscovered the recipe.
The 308 is at its best in hybrid form, where the lower kerb weight plays to the chassis’ crisp agility, but the same traits can be felt in the diesel, plug-in hybrid and electric forms. Whichever model you choose, I’d recommend going for the base trim, Allure, for its relatively modest, smoother-riding 17in rims.
As an outright class champion, the 308’s slightly cramped rear and fussy infotainment system count against it. But if you’re willing to compromise on a little practicality, it will reward you with a chassis that reminds you that humble hatchbacks needn’t be humdrum.
Spec highlights Peugeot 308 Hybrid 145 Allure, £29,995, 143bhp, 170lb ft, 0-62mph 9.3sec, top speed 130mph, 57.7mpg
Mazda 3: An enthusiast’s car hiding in the mainstream
You just have to love a company that makes a mainstream hatchback but, instead of going with the usual downsized turbo engines, gives you a choice of a 2.5-litre atmo petrol or a 2.0-litre petrol with compression ignition. Mazda likes to be a bit contrarian, which doesn’t always make its life easy, but in the 3 it all comes together. Those large-capacity engines can do 50mpg and, while many modern units are clearly optimised to be paired with an automatic, they thrive when mated to the delightfully mechanical manual gearbox. It’s engaging like few other mainstream cars.
Engagement is a hallmark of the chassis, too. The 3 is on the sportier end of the class – but achieves that in a very Mazda way. With 2.9 turns lock to lock, the steering lets you savour every degree of input instead of darting into a corner, and there’s just enough roll to let you know what’s going on. In many ways, the 3 manages to be a better BMW 1 Series. It’s stylish, it’s effortlessly sporty without being uncomfortable and its interior is premium and classy. Thing is, it’s really good value as well.
Spec highlights Mazda 3 e-Skyactiv G Prime-Line, £25,300, 138bhp, 176lb ft, 0-62mph 9.5sec, top speed 128mph, 47.9mpg
Honda Civic: Well rounded, of course, but we just love that sense of competent anonymity
People forget how well Honda does ergonomics and stress-free motoring. The regular Civic Hybrid – overshadowed by its hot Type R sibling – has the soporific credentials to match a Swedish massage, and I mean that in a good way. It’s grown-up in feel, hugely economical and quicker than you’d expect, and it has a decent handling balance and pleasant controls. If you can live with the slightly ropey infotainment, there’s a lot to like here.
Spec highlights Honda Civic 2.0 i-MMD Elegance, £33,575, 181bhp, 232lb ft, 0-62mph 7.8sec, top speed 112mph, 56.5mpg
Toyota Corolla: One of the most straightforward cars to drive and own
Honestly, what more do you want? The latest Corolla couldn’t be more medium-sized if it tried. At £30,000 and a bit, it’s incredibly medium-priced. And the fact that the Corolla wasn’t chosen to lead this spread obviously demonstrates that it’s underrated, because it deserves top billing. The Corolla, swamped by crossovers and funkier models even in Toyota’s range, let alone the mass market, is an absolute star: surprisingly decent to drive and incredibly easy to own too, if customer satisfaction surveys are anything to go by. Maybe the most underrated car on sale.
Spec highlights Toyota Corolla 1.8 Hybrid Icon, £30,845, 138bhp, 105lb ft, 0-62mph 9.1sec, top speed 111mph, 64.1mpg
Skoda Karoq: It’s bland, sure, but it could be every car you never knew you needed
Reviewers don’t always do right by every car they have to pronounce on, and I don’t think I did by the Karoq. It came along almost a decade ago now, in 2017, and honestly it just wasn’t the car I wanted. It replaced the much-loved Yeti, a compact family car with an unusually cheery aspect by Skoda’s standards and an overnight hit with the Autocar road test desk, and its want of character was as plain as the Yeti’s surfeit of it. It came at a time when there was another new MQB-based Volkswagen Group SUV every six weeks, and it seemed symptomatic of every regrettable trend of that period.
Then I simply lived with a Karoq for a week – and its understated everyday brilliance slowly percolated through. It’s an ideal size: big enough to be more comfortable, more convenient and more useful than a family hatchback or estate but still with a flavour of right-sized compactness. It still has a broad range of conventional engines: modest, simple and refined turbo petrols but also diesels and four-wheel drive, if you want it.
But it’s the little things that I love about the Karoq: the picnic tables for the kids in the back; the tablet holders hung from the front seatbacks; the sliding, configurable bag-hook rails in the boot, ideal for keeping your shopping from escaping its bags. Order the Varioflex rear seats and you can even remove the back row completely for those ultimate cargo-carrying missions.
Spec highlights Skoda Karoq 2.0 TDI 4×4 SE L Edition DSG, £41,135, 148bhp, 266lb ft, 0-62mph 8.7sec, top speed 126mph, 49.5mpg
Best load hauliers
Ineos Grenadier: Gives up some creature comforts for rugged off-road ability and versatility
I ran a Grenadier as my daily for several months last winter, so I’m extremely aware of what a supremely practical holdall it is. It also has the advantage that it can go just about anywhere. But even if you don’t want to make full use of its two-range gearbox and locking differentials, this is a superbly versatile family wagon.
For one, your family can all get comfortable, and because it’s tall and has a generous glass area, everyone gets a decent view out. This is an underrated virtue in a family car, in my, er, view. Everyone gets some oddment stowage, too, and doors that aren’t too long to open in tight car parks, and the driver gets very flat sides and big mirrors to make manoeuvring into smaller spaces easy.
And then once a child legs it around to the back of the car to pull out their sports kit, they have to open only half of the tailgate, which swings open sideways rather than being top-mounted. It therefore takes up less space and means they can keep hold of the door while it opens, so it doesn’t belt a car behind/low ceiling/whatever.
And if you happen to have a trailer or caravan attached (the Grenadier can tow 3.5 tonnes, after all), the split tailgate allows boot access without the door impeding the tow mechanism or jockey wheel handle, as can be the case with conventional tailgates. This is all very detailed practical minutiae, it’s true, but it’s this stuff that makes a difference day to day. If it helps, I also enjoy the driving.
Spec highlights Ineos Grenadier Station Wagon 3.0L Petrol, £62,495, 282bhp, 332lb ft, 0-62mph 8.6sec, top speed 99mph, 20.0mpg
Skoda Superb Estate: Cavernous, comfortable and cost-effective, it’s the ultimate family car
In a rational world free of marketing-led lifestyle posturing, estate cars would be dominating the sales charts. And sitting at the very top of the tree would be the Skoda Superb Estate. I really wanted to avoid the cliché about its name, but this capacious Czech’s moniker is proof that nominative determinism is a thing. Its 690-litre boot is removal van-vast, while those in the rear have limo levels of leg room. It even has the premium chops to embarrass supposedly superior stablemate Audi. The Superb drives well too, with a nicely judged ride and handling balance, a hushed refinement and a wide range of engines. There’s a reason it’s a five-star Autocar road test car, you know.
Spec highlights Skoda Superb 1.5 TSI e-TEC SE Technology Estate, £38,135, 148bhp, 184lb ft, 0-62mph 9.3sec, top speed 137mph, 54.3mpg
Land Rover Discovery: It’s the big, spacious, versatile modern Land Rover that people don’t judge you for driving
A grand reimagining is in the works for Land Rover’s Discovery sub-brand. The problem is that it has been cannibalised by the super-successful reborn Defender, which means the next one might be quite different to this functional, spacious, comfortable and unimposing large SUV.
I hope not too different. The Discovery has a wonderfully unambiguous agenda. The way it fits into everyday life just attracts a bit less attention than the bluff Defender would, it feels more understated and real-world-focused, and yet it lacks none of JLR’s now-customary sophistication, capability, refinement and technology.
Spec highlights Land Rover Discovery D350 Dynamic SE, £70,410, 345bhp, 516lb ft, 0-62mph 6.3sec, top speed 130mph, 34.3mpg
BMW iX3: Possibly the most complete car you can buy in 2026
What the 330d Touring was in 2006 the iX3 is in 2026: the sort of desirable family car that combines practicality and economy with a bit of fun and premium sheen. This electric SUV blows its competitors away in pretty much every metric you care to mention. And how much boot do you really need? 520 litres, plus a 58-litre frunk, is pretty capacious.
Spec highlights BMW iX3 50 xDrive, £58,755, 462bhp, 476lb ft, 0-62mph 4.9sec, top speed 130mph, 4.1mpkWh
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate: Handsome, rapid, comfy and gets you to Verbier in one hit, even at 80mph
An E-Class Estate needs no introduction and, truly, you can’t go far wrong with any variant of the current W214 generation: all are lavish company. What makes the E450d special is its mild-hybrid straight-six diesel, which has enough shove to shrug off overtakes even when fully loaded yet will still cruise at 45mpg. It also rides fabulously on its air springs. It is, in so many ways, the last car you’d ever need – which is just as well because, at more than £80,000, it’s also the last car you’ll be able to afford. Old-world family motoring in a modern package.
Spec highlights Mercedes-Benz E450d Exclusive Premium Estate, £83,895, 367bhp, 553lb ft, 0-62mph 5.0sec, top speed 155mph, 45.6mpg
Best luxury GTs
Maserati Granturismo Folgore: Quirky but capable and staggeringly handsome while still understated
It’s ludicrously easy to malign the electric version of the latest Granturismo. Even in our road test it earned only three and a half stars, for pity’s sake. Blame the near-£200,000 asking price or the fact that even if you’re trying to be efficient (which shouldn’t really be part of the Maserati equation), you’ll still be lucky to eke only 250 miles of range from this supposed grand tourer. Or indeed blame the fact that this is a performance coupé weighing 2.4 tonnes, or that it sounds nothing like as special as its gargling V8-fired ancestors, because it mostly sounds of, well, wind roar.
Do all that, though, and you might just overlook the magic of the Granturismo Folgore. It has a fabulous, materially opulent cabin that hits new heights of quality for Maserati. It has an expertly calibrated EV powertrain, which allows you to progressively and securely ramp up monumental propulsive shove in a way that feels natural. This powertrain is also clever enough to seem to know when you want maximum traction and when you want a mischievous slither of oversteer. And the steering is intuitive enough to make the latter enjoyably controllable. To top it all off, it rides better than any comparable GT, with perhaps the exception of the Bentley Continental. A futuristic Ferrari 612 Scaglietti?
So it’s an immensely appealing package, the Folgore, if you’re willing to overlook the obvious drawbacks, which would be no hardship if you’re only en route to see Turandot. Maserati won’t sell many and the depreciation will be ugly. But to me this car is a flawed gem with a cachet that’s hard to quantify but that certainly exists. Classic status beckons, and if somebody one day retrofits this car with a battery that can deliver a genuine 500 miles of real-world range what a thing it would be. A true, 202mph electric super-GT.
Spec highlights Maserati Granturismo Folgore, £178,330, 751bhp, 996lb ft, 0-62mph 2.7sec, top speed 202mph, 2.8mpkWh
Bentley Flying Spur: Drive or be driven. Nothing else combines dynamism, desirability and sybaritic luxury quite like it
Having just one Bentley at your disposal makes you feel good about life, but late last year I was given the chance to test the latest, 671bhp plug-in hybrid versions of both the Continental GT coupé and Flying Spur limousine back to back, in matching Azure trim.
To drive, I expected to prefer the smaller GT, but no: the Spur was simply more Bentley. It had a more settled ride, better rolling isolation and just as much elegance and desirability, while being equally as enticing to engage with at the wheel. The Spur used to be the poorer cousin, no doubt, but for me it’s now a better luxury operator than the Conti.
And anyway, wouldn’t you want the option to be driven, now and again, in a car this lavish and special? It’s got to be a big saloon with properly enticing back seats, surely, and this has to be among the very best.
Spec highlights Bentley Flying Spur V8 Hybrid Azure, £229,000, 671bhp, 686lb ft, 0-62mph 3.9sec, top speed 177mph, 64.2mpg
Ferrari Amalfi: Comfortable, elegant and a proper driver’s car, the Amalfi never stops surprising
“It’s really comfy, actually.” This always seems to come up when I talk about a Ferrari to someone who hasn’t driven one. Which is weird, because being very liveable isn’t a new thing for Maranello: reviewers have been singing the praises of the bumpy road mode for a long time now.
But Ferrari has this image of ultimate performance (after all, it’s still the Formula 1 brand), so it’s always slightly surprising when I get into a Ferrari, particularly a GT like the Amalfi, how well it rides, how comfortable the seats are and how quiet it is when I just have miles to destroy. This underlines what a great all-rounder the Amalfi is, because Aston Martins and Porsches don’t have this duality of purpose. It also feels light and agile on a good road. It doesn’t seem to have to compromise.
I love Ferrari’s styling at the moment, too. With the 296 and the Amalfi, it has found an elegance that’s missing from most sports cars and GTs. This is one of the few cars in which you could genuinely arrive at a black-tie event or a track day with equal credibility, then depart for your holiday in the south of France.
Spec highlights Ferrari Amalfi, £202,459, 631bhp, 561lb ft, 0-62mph 3.3sec, top speed 199mph, 25.2mpg
Aston Martin Vanquish: A brilliantly bombastic old-school GT that’s shot through with genuine star appeal
The Vanquish isn’t the best V12 GT: the Ferrari 12Cilindri just pips it for my money. But when it comes to upstaging your fellow A-listers before the red carpet, the big Brit takes some beating. Its twin-turbo 5.2-litre motor makes all the right theatrically thoroughbred noises, while every paparazzo’s lens will be magnetically drawn to its elegantly muscular exterior. And on the way home, statuette safely stashed in the glovebox, its gorgeously finished cabin, earth-shattering turn of speed and slightly rough-edged rear-drive swagger will prove that it’s about as good to be in as it is to look at.
Spec highlights Aston Martin Vanquish, £335,545, 824bhp, 738lb ft, 0-62mph 3.3sec, top speed 214mph, 20.7mpg
Rolls-Royce Spectre: Does everything a true luxury car is meant to do. Just lovely
The only reason I can imagine you wouldn’t pick the Spectre as your luxury car for Oscars night is that coupés aren’t really meant for those who like sitting in the back. If you think you’d look ungraceful or would stand on your dress getting out of it, then fine, it’s not for you. But if you’re going to be sitting in the front, the seminal electric Roller is the best car to drive to a big, posh gig. Its throttle response is perfectly metered for crawling traffic, it creeps along near silently inside and it looks a million dollars, despite costing a fair bit less than that. It’s the nicest luxury car on sale.
Spec highlights Rolls-Royce Spectre, £333,175, 577bhp, 664lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 155mph, 2.8mpkWh
Best all-rounders
Audi S5 Avant: Comfy, fun, fast, practical and not another BMW, the S5 will do all the jobs
Audi is in a weird place right now, struggling with the modern issues of electrification, digital tech and staying relevant. Perhaps in reaction to this, it has gone very heavy on more old-school values, like engines and driving dynamics. The S5 is the best example of this. While its S4 predecessors usually played second fiddle to the warm BMW 3 Series of the time, due to slightly leaden handling and less exciting powertrains, the latest version poses an actual challenge to the M340i.
It doesn’t try to reinvent the sporty saloon/estate formula, it just executes it well. Comfy daily? No problem. You expect the worst from 20in wheels but, with its adaptive dampers and surprisingly relaxed spring rates, this is one of the suppler cars around. As you’d expect, Audi has nailed seat comfort and cruising noise too.
Where the S5 represents a step-change over its forebears is handling. The V6 sits farther back in the chassis and it has traded the safe and steady Torsen diff for a clutch pack that can send much more power rearward. This has turned it into a very neutral car that still defaults to safe and steady behaviour but has much more depth to it. The steering has actual feel and, with a bit of provocation, it will properly light up its rear tyres. I love how it uses hybridisation for good, rather than as a crutch. It’s a strong hybrid rather than a plug-in one, so you can treat it like a normal ICE car, letting that V6 sing its song.
The battery and motor just work behind the scenes to boost MPG and provide some low-speed electric running. It ticks the practicality boxes too. It’s no Skoda Superb but, in both its liftback and estate forms, the S5 has enough space for four people and their luggage without feeling like a big car. To top it all off, it has a subtle elegance that’s missing from many modern performance cars.
Spec highlights Audi S5 TFSI Quattro Black Edition Avant, £67,805, 362bhp, 406lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 155mph, 36.0mpg
BMW 3 Series Touring: The traditional BMW made extra versatile. Useful, desirable and great to drive
Let’s get real: you can’t go on the school run in an M3 Touring. Not with those seats. Your kids will grow to despise you. As will all their friends, their friends’ parents etc. The M340i winds down the conspicuous attitude a bit, winds up the dynamic versatility and probably makes you about 50% less likely to be judged, wherever you happen to be. Point being that this needs to be a car in which you could go anywhere, run any errand, complete any necessary task.
This particular 3 Series model gives you xDrive four-wheel drive and a little more than 1500 litres of carrying space with the seats down. Empty it, return the seats to their take-off positions and you will find it fast, poised and rewarding on a cross-country blast as well. It’s a proper BMW with a punchy petrol straight six, lots of desirability and loads of usability with it.
Spec highlights BMW M340i xDrive Touring, £64,265, 387bhp, 398lb ft, 0-62mph 4.5sec, top speed 155mph, Economy 38.7mpg
Audi RS3 Sportback: Last of the five-pot Audis is one of the best. My recommended all-season daily
What do you want from a daily? Effortless performance with an engaging soundtrack? Enough sure-footed security for year-round use? A decent, nicely built interior with enough space for you, some friends and your kit? If so, I present to you the five-door RS3, which is all of those things and more. It’s also really pleasing to drive, comfortable when you want it to be and engaging when you don’t, with incisive handling and very little of the old-school Audi front-end push and inertness. It’s also, we reckon, the last beneficiary of Audi’s charming five-cylinder engine. If that’s not reason to pick one, I don’t know what is. MP
Spec highlights Audi RS3 TFSI Quattro Sportback, £62,570, 396bhp, 369lb ft, 0-62mph 3.8sec, top speed 155mph, 30.1mpg
BMW M3 Touring: The kick I get driving M3s is up there with that from any dedicated sports car
Right now the 3 Series spectrum is freakishly broad. At one end sits the 320d saloon, which remains, one could easily argue, the best car in the world (although sadly not in the UK any more). At the other end is the absurd M3 Touring-based GT3 racer that BMW is taking to the Nürburgring 24 Hours, in perhaps the greatest Rickard Rydell tribute imaginable. And it’s the road-going M3 Touring I’ll focus on here, because a car with a broader skillset – ‘one tool for every job’ – is difficult to find.
The magic of the M3 Touring stems from the fact that it is a proper performance car with deep sporting DNA. You don’t have to pop the driveline into RWD mode to discover that this M car loves to be steered on the throttle or that it has a degree of handling dexterity not far off what you would enjoy in something as pedigree as a Porsche 911 Carrera. Add to all this the estate bodywork, which has little to no discernible ill effects on the saloon’s raw dynamism, and the result is the world’s first
tip-run car that’s equally adept at Silverstone. All you need to do is choose your seats. So which will it be: comfy chairs or brutally bolstered, carbonfibre-backed buckets?
Spec highlights BMW M3 Competition M xDrive Touring, £89,635, 523bhp, 479lb ft, 0-62mph 3.6sec, top speed 155mph, 28.0mpg
Skoda Octavia vRS Estate: Effortless blend of pace, poise and practicality gives the vRS proper Q-car kudos
Few cars can muster the multi-tool versatility of the Octavia vRS. First off, it’s as practical as they come. There’s space galore inside, and if you go for the estate version you will get a boot that can hold more kitchen sinks than a branch of B&Q. The cabin looks and feels the part too, with rich materials and features galore. And it combines this easy-going everyday demeanour with a genuine dose of driver delight. The Volkswagen Group’s venerable turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four serves up all the performance you’ll ever need (and will do 40mpg into the bargain), while the chassis delivers just enough dynamic sparkle to keep things interesting.
Spec highlights Skoda Octavia 2.0 TSI vRS Estate, £41,715, 261bhp, 273lb ft, 0-62mph 6.5sec, top speed 155mph, 40.4mpg
Best new entrants
Changan Deepal S07: The answer to a question that I’m asked every week: ‘What’s the best Chinese car?’
Changan is one of China’s founding car makers. It was also one of the first to set up design and development institutions in Europe – the former in Turin in 2006, the latter in Birmingham in 2010. From that alone, you can tell that there’s an air of real ambition and seriousness to the company’s approach to European exports that some other Chinese brands don’t show.
In the same vein, it didn’t rush to get just any product onto the European market, allowing several key rivals to steal a bit of a march on it, preferring instead to keep polishing and sharpening in the background and launch only when the time and the product were right. As you would expect, then, the Deepal S07 seems like a good place for Changan’s expansion to begin. A mid-sized crossover with plenty of style and an unconventional silhouette, it
has a design with notes of sophistication about it. It clearly isn’t some cookie-cutter copycat. Inside, its preference for digital technology over physical switchgear is a little more likely to make you roll your eyes, but even here it smacks of a carefully considered execution. The button controls on its steering wheel spokes can each be mapped for almost any function you like, on distinct short-press and long-press bases. Its central touchscreen has a fully customisable, permanently displayed lower navigation bar, into which you can put one-touch shortcuts for whatever you feel you need top-level access to.
To drive, this is a single-motor, natively rear- driven EV with a broadly unremarkable but perfectly acceptable amount of performance and range, but it has a combination of good close body control, ride comfort and well-matched steering precision and control weights that makes it feel like something developed with skill and care and for discerning customers.
Best of all, it has advanced ADAS that, almost to the last function, can be switched off, will remain off if you want and won’t intrude on what feels like a really mature driving experience. The Deepal S07 is what the European car brands have been fearing, years before many probably expected: Chinese competition that’s as sophisticated as it is appealingly priced.
Spec highlights Changan Deepal S07, £39,990, 215bhp, 236lb ft, 0-62mph 7.9sec, top speed 112mph, 3.3mpkWh
Hyundai Inster: A fresh look at the small car. In many ways a better small car
At 3.8m long, the Hyundai Inster is ostensibly a city car – an electric equivalent of the petrol i10. But it’s derived from the Casper, which fits into the ‘gyeongcha’ class, Korea’s kei car equivalent, which means it does things a little differently.
The Inster is incredibly narrow, for a start. That makes it more like small cars of old, which you can aim at a gap in traffic and trust they will fit. But it looks cute and fashionable, rather than cheap and frail like most of them.
Its interior is really clever as well. Up front there’s what looks like a bench seat (although the left and right parts do adjust separately), which subjectively widens the interior. In combination with the use of some actual colours, it doesn’t feel confined. Meanwhile, the rear seats slide individually, so you can choose between a big boot and having enough leg room for adults to sit comfortably.
The way the Inster drives is secondary. It’s fine: being electric gives it decent punch, it feels planted enough in the corners and its range and charging capability make it pretty usable. It doesn’t make a point of being an EV, but electric power really suits a car like this.
Spec highlights Hyundai Inster Standard Range 01, £23,755, 95bhp, 108lb ft, 0-62mph 11.7sec, top speed 87mph, 4.4mpkWh
Kia PV5 Passenger: Properly practical. Combines form and function to brilliant effect
All of the entries in this category will stop the car-curious in their tracks, but I reckon none will bring them to a halt faster than the PV5. I mean, just look at it. Kia’s answer to the ‘post-SUV’ world that its designers believe we will soon enter is like nothing else on the road. Yet beneath the futuristic styling is a coolly utilitarian vehicle – and that’s a good thing. There are vast windows that give a great view out and practical sliding side doors that open to reveal a cavernous interior. Brilliant. Oh, and it’s also good value and decent to drive.
Spec highlights Kia PV5 Passenger Long Range Essential, £35,995, 161bhp, 184lb ft, 0-62mph 10.6sec, top speed 84mph, Economy 3.2mpkWh
Honda Super-N: We need more kei options in the UK, and this looks like a fun one
We don’t get our fair share of Japanese oddities in the UK, but the electric Super-N – all 3.4m of it – will help address that when it arrives this year. Pitched as an upmarket alternative to the Dacia Spring, it’s a hot hatchy take on the N-One E kei car that Honda sells in its home market. Which is why it has an imitation gearbox, a synthetic exhaust sound and a Boost mode. It could be crass or tremendous fun – our prototype drive in Japan suggests the latter – but it’s guaranteed to be an interesting take on cut-price, pint-sized, everyday motoring.
Spec highlights Honda Super-N, £22,000 (est), 90bhp (est), 0-62mph 9.5sec (est), top speed 80mph (est)
Wells Vertige: Light, modestly powered and engaging
A brief glance at the numbers is enough to tell you why I love the Vertige. Just 225bhp yet it will hit 62mph in 4.8sec, because it doesn’t weigh much. A top speed of 140mph implies that hasn’t been terribly prioritised. And a max torque figure of 148lb ft means that it’s not all about low-end torque. It is, then, a lightweight car with a sense of agility and engagement that you find all too rarely these days. The fact that most people haven’t heard of it only adds to my sense of intrigue and excitement about Wells.
Spec highlights Wells Vertige, £85,000, 225bhp, 148lb ft, 0-62mph 4.8sec, top speed 140mph
Best off-roaders
Mercedes G-Class: History and incredible capability all wrapped in one charismatic package
In 2018, the G-Class was on the receiving end of a comprehensive mechanical update, mostly masterminded by AMG. It did away with the recirculating-ball steering and solid front axle but kept the ladder-frame construction and legendary robustness. The result was nothing short of a transformation in on-road drivability, but with no real compromises in its ability to claw itself up the Schöckl or through quagmires and the like.
At the same time, Mercedes upped the luxury quotient of the cabin, and in the years since it has quietly evolved the engine range too. This brings us to the G450d, which lobs a smooth and economical mild-hybrid straight-six diesel into the equation – and to pretty dazzling effect, if you’re looking for something that will go toe to toe with a Defender in terms of off-road credibility but equally feels urbane and special enough to function as something of a weekend car. That it will also return better than 30mpg at a cruise is the icing on the cake. It’s an esoteric cake, and an expensive one, but one that feels shot through with engineering pedigree and is literally ready for anything you throw at it.
Spec highlights Mercedes-Benz G450d AMG Line Premium Plus, £142,635, 362bhp, 5531b ft, 0-62mph 5.8sec, top speed 130mph, 31.8mpg
Toyota Land Cruiser: Feels and drives exactly like the car you expect. Just about the toughest thing on four wheels
You shouldn’t judge an off-roader on its ground clearance and clearance angle statistics. In fact, appearances in general can be quite misleading about these sorts of vehicles. Some of the ones that look truly rugged turn out to be heavy, unwieldy and a bit underpowered. And some you might dismiss at first glance can actually climb, crawl and rock-hop very well indeed. The latest Land Cruiser, however, proves every bit as tough as it looks. It has a diesel engine that feels torquey enough to drag it out of any predicament, an unpretentious interior that you won’t mind making muddy, and all the locking differentials and other hardware it needs to deal with any task appearing in front of it.
Spec highlights Toyota Land Cruiser 2.8 Diesel 48V, £80,740, 203bhp, 369lb ft, 0-62mph 10.9sec, top speed 105mph, 26.4mpg
Land Rover Defender Octa: Brutal. Not necessarily a car for our times but definitely one for the end times
What’s an acceptable level of qualification to be able to claim that a car is ‘ready for anything’? Well, dominating the Dakar Rally on your debut attempt ought to be enough. Sure, the rally raid-prepped Defender Octas aren’t exactly showroom standard, but they share enough DNA with the road-going version to suggest it’s a 4×4 that will have your back when the going gets rough. Its trick suspension makes mincemeat of any rugged terrain yet also delivers surprising agility and engagement on the road.
Then there’s the performance, which is simply outrageous for something that punches such a big hole in the air. More remarkable is that the Octa achieves this without affecting the standard Defender’s comfort, utility and everyday malleability.
Spec highlights Land Rover Defender 110 P635 Octa, £148,245, 626bhp, 590lb ft, 0-62mph 3.8sec, top speed 155mph, 21.4mpg
Toyota Hilux: A pick-up is the best vehicle in which to do everything. The Hilux is the best pick-up. Ergo it’s the best here by default
Some of my colleagues here might bang on about breakover angles and adventure and yada yada yada, but the excellent thing about a pick-up truck-and the Hilux is routinely the best of them – is the fact that whatever you put in the load bay, you aren’t also bringing into the inside at the same time. So if it’s a wet bike or a dead sheep or filthy construction equipment, it doesn’t matter. And it’s as good off-road as anything.
Spec highlights Toyota Hilux 2.8 Diesel 48V Invincible X, £48,553 (including VAT), 203bhp, 369lb ft, 0-62mph 10.0sec, top speed 109mph, 27.9mpg
Dacia Duster: Will go down green lanes just as well as to the shops
It’s all well and good being able to cross the Darién Gap, but in the UK you’re much more likely to encounter a narrow green lane or an awkward gate into a field. Enter the Dacia Duster. Its four-wheel drive system is surprisingly capable and its light weight and relatively small size let it go places that the ‘serious’ off-roaders can’t. It’s also one of the only genuinely affordable off-roaders left on sale. Bang for buck, the Duster is unbeatable.
Spec highlights Dacia Duster TCe 130 4×4 Extreme, £26,595, 129bhp, 170lb ft, 0-62mph 11.0sec, top speed 112mph, 46.3mpg
Best electric execs
Mercedes-Benz CLA: Forget the S-Class, Mercedes’ tech showcase is now its smallest EV
Every criticism that car bores aim at EVs, the electric CLA answers. It’s not an SUV and it’s not some huge, wasteful tank: instead it’s distinctly European-sized to fit down our roads and in our parking spaces. There’s even an estate version. Nor is it technologically inferior to Chinese EVs or mechanically the same as its competitors, because Mercedes went back to the drawing board to come up with stuff like a disconnect clutch and a two-speed gearbox, which add a bit of texture to the driving experience and make the drivetrain super-efficient.
As a result, the CLA can use a relatively small battery (which is lighter and needs fewer resources than a big one) to still achieve a class-leading range of well over 400 miles. On the right charger, it can be topped back up in minutes too. For those more into digital tech, it has all of that as well. There are screens for days, running all the connected apps you could dream of, and Al-enhanced voice control that actually works.
Perhaps most significantly of all, it’s great to drive – not through any kind of gimmicks, just by way of fundamentally good engineering. The driving position feels like that of a proper sports saloon, the steering has the right sort of weight and feel, and the rear-wheel-drive version has a nicely playful balance. And because Mercedes has done it properly, it still rides well. In fact, the CLA’s relaxing nature may just be its best attribute. It’s pretty quick if you need it to be, but it prefers to mooch. Its long-travel accelerator, easily configurable regenerative braking and progressive brake pedal make it a supremely easy car to drive smoothly. All of the ADAS work well and the long range means you generally don’t really have to think about charging.
Spec highlights Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ with EQ Technology Sport Edition, £45,615, 268bhp, 247lb ft, 0-62mph 6.7sec, top speed 130mph, 5.0mpkWh
Volvo ES90: Brings a much-needed element of elegance to the class
As the S90 was put out to pasture and the V90 grew ever older, Volvo found itself in the executive car doldrums, dropping further off the back of the German pack. The new electric ES90 has the potential to address that, and in pretty spectacular, uniquely Volvo style. The new notchback bloods 800V electricals for the company, meaning it has the potential for 350kW charging and nearly 700bhp, and looks slicker than the opposition – especially now it has lost that taxi-style sensor array on the roof.
Crucially, this is also a car that seems to know what it is: an electric lounge on wheels with an easy manner, strong practicality and a calming interior ambience. You won’t find any off-kilter, overly sporty pretences or digital overload here, which is how it should be for a modern Volvo flagship. Key to the ES90’s appeal is something you won’t read on the spec sheet: it seems to have cured Volvo’s habit of having an excellent long-wave gait underpinned by a jittery secondary ride. This is key when it comes to challenging for class honours, which we absolutely expect the ES90 to do when the time comes for the inevitable group test.
Spec highlights Volvo ES90 Single Motor Extended Range Plus, £67,560, 329bhp, 354lb ft, 0-62mph 6.6sec, top speed 112mph, 4.0mpkWh
Tesla Model 3: Original executive EV is still one of the best and drives better than you might believe
So ubiquitous is the Model 3 and so loud is the negative noise that surrounds Tesla’s CEO that it’s all too easy to overlook its abilities and qualities as an electric compact executive exemplar. In its most recent ‘Highland’ iteration, it ticks all the boxes for user-choosers who want a stylish saloon that will save them a chunk on BIK tax. For starters, it drives with real class, its poised handling being more than a match for Europe’s best. It’s also comfortable, spacious and, thanks to a recent round of price cuts, great value. It still takes some beating for efficiency, too, while Tesla’s Supercharger network remains a compelling selling point.
Spec highlights Tesla Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive Premium, £44,990, 315bhp, 0-62mph 4.9sec, top speed 125mph, 4.6mpkWh
BMW i5: Feels and drives like a BMW, just with zero emissions
The thing about the i5 is that it’s a BMW 5 Series, which means it’s just the benchmark executive car but made electric – simple as that. It has a solid-feeling, spacious interior, with high-quality materials and plentiful standard equipment. It has a composed and balanced combination of ride and handling, with a sufficiently low level of noise and enough isolation that it makes a very long journey feel very short. And long journeys are possible because BMW is aware that’s how its executive cars are used so fits big batteries. A 5, then, but clean at the tailpipe. All you want.
Spec highlights BMW i5 eDrive40 Sport Edition, £67,796, 335bhp, 295lb ft, 0-62mph 6.0sec, top speed 120mph, 4.1mpkWh
Best small cars
Seat Ibiza: A reminder of a time when superminis were almost all this much fun, before they got overly responsible and sensible
Seat defied convention when it extended the life of the fifth-generation Ibiza supermini last year. So many manufacturers have either hybridised or fully electrified their small cars in expectation of the market for ICE superminis drying up when new emissions legislation makes them even more expensive in 2027. But the Spanish firm is forging on, making fun little runarounds pretty much as it always has. The Ibiza now has a slightly truncated engine range, but the familiar 114bhp turbo triple still provides just enough performance to make it worth driving keenly, with a six-speed manual gearbox that makes whizzing around in it that bit more engaging.
The Ibiza’s chassis tuning is also very much enthusiast-centred, prioritising grip, response and tenacity over ride comfort and allowing you to carry much more speed into corners than you would expect a car like this to be capable of. Sure, there isn’t the last word in power or feedback here, but there’s plenty of fun to be had, from a car that has a directness of character and a zesty charm that’s now unlike the class norm.
Spec highlights Seat Ibiza 1.0 TSI 115 FR, £24,910, 114bhp, 148lb ft, 0-62mph 9.7sec, top speed 123mph, 53.3mpg
Renault Clio: A real old-school supermini, with engaging handling, minimal weight and good economy
Now this car is one of a dying breed: a supermini with just a little electrification to keep it honest and frugal and a price well under £20,000. What a shame it will be when cars like this are no longer available and, honestly, that fateful day seems to be drawing closer and closer. Fair play to Renault, then, for keeping a manual petrol supermini that’s enjoyable to drive, whether you’re going slow or fast, nice to look at and comfortable to sit in on sale for as long as it can.
Spec highlights Renault Clio TCe 90 Generation, £17,995, 90bhp, 118lb ft, 0-62mph 12.3sec, top speed 112mph, 54.3mpg
Toyota Yaris: Grown-up generally, enjoyable if you ask it to be
I’ll happily keep banging this drum for as long as I’m asked to: the current Yaris has really nice handling, just like most cars built on Toyota’s TNGA platform. With the exception of the Swift, nothing else here will tolerate being backed into a corner on a lifted throttle – a ridiculous criterion, I know, but we’re talking fun superminis here. Throw in a decently punchy and responsive hybrid powertrain, with which momentum can easily be topped up as necessary, and you’ve got a surprisingly enjoyable package – which also costs peanuts to run and will never break. What’s not to like?
Spec highlights Toyota Yaris 1.5 Hybrid Icon, £23,995, 114bhp, 0-62mph 9.7sec, top speed 108mph, 70.6mpg
Suzuki Swift: Like a supermini of 20 years ago in all the good ways but none of the bad ways
Suzuki isn’t having the easiest time at the moment, trying to keep up with electrification and digital tech, but it can still be relied on to do the basics well, in its own inimitable way. The Swift remains the supermini stripped down to its essentials – and is all the better for it. Not enough is made of the fact that this car will carry four people, five at a push, and meets all the latest safety and emissions regulations yet costs less than £20,000 and weighs under a tonne. That 949kg figure is key to the Swift’s magic, because it lets it do more with less.
With only a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine, it’s not exactly fast, but there’s real delight in revving the willing three-cylinder, working the snappy five-speed manual and carrying as much momentum through corners as you can. Even when you drive it like you stole it (and you’ll want to), it will return 60mpg. The Swift doesn’t need super-sophisticated suspension to handle well, because its light body doesn’t particularly tax the springs and dampers like heavier cars do. As a result, it flows through corners and over bumps with an ease that’s rare in modern cars.
Elsewhere, too, it covers the basics and covers them well. The simple infotainment system is easy to understand and needn’t do much more than display your chosen flavour of smartphone mirroring, which it duly does. The cloth seats are surprisingly ergonomic, the rear seats and boot space are decent, and the adaptive cruise control is cleverer than on some cars with grand promises of semi-autonomy. Some will find the Swift old-fashioned, with its manual gearbox, revvy engine and analogue dials. For us, that simplicity is what makes the Swift so compelling.
Spec highlights Suzuki Swift Mild Hybrid Motion, £19,999, 81bhp, 83lb ft, 0-62mph 12.5sec, top speed 105mph, 64.2mpg
Hyundai i10: Like a big car, only smaller. A brilliant reminder of why we need city cars
Small cars currently present manufacturers quite the conundrum. Using fewer resources to both build and run than almost any other four-wheeled vehicle, they should be perfect for our times, when environmental issues and an inflated cost of living regularly make headlines. Yet wafer-thin profit margins are increasingly forcing these pocket-sized marvels off price lists and future model plans. Happily, Hyundai hasn’t lost faith. Even better, its i10 isn’t just on this list by default because it’s one of the few remaining city cars but because it’s actually a tiddler with towering talent.
Clever packaging means you’ll fit more into it than you’d believe, plus it feels far more grown-up than a car of this size and price has any right to, with genuine refinement and comfort. Then there are those sharp looks and a kit list lengthy enough to shame machines three or four classes above. It’s not the most involving to drive and its 1.2-litre engine is merely functional, but the fun of the i10 doesn’t come from the intimate connection between human and machine (although the five-speed manual gearbox’s action is one of the very best). No, the real joy is being able to wring every ounce of performance on every journey without making a nuisance of yourself. Good, clean fun.
Spec highlights Hyundai i10 1.2 79 Advance, £19,815, 78bhp, 83lb ft, 0-62mph 13.2sec, top speed 98mph, 52.3mpg
Best supercars
GMA T50: The four-wheeled embodiment of a single-minded pursuit of perfection
I haven’t driven a T50 and it’s entirely possible I never will. Even so, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it’s the supercar for those of us who love driving-and I mean really love driving. Of course it does the big numbers you expect of a car like this (there’s 664bhp, a 200mph-plus top speed and a 0-60mph time starting with a two), but in designer Gordon Murray’s eyes these figures are just a happy by-product of the car’s real purpose, which is to place the person behind the wheel (literally) front and centre.
Like that other Murray masterpiece, the McLaren F1, this is a car that prioritises good times over lap times. From the ultra-responsive, operatic-sounding naturally aspirated Cosworth V12 through to the six-speed manual gearbox and unassisted steering, the T50 is a car that has been honed to stir the soul and stimulate the senses. I get the feeling that the GMA so intimately connects car and driver that even parallel parking it would result in a significant dump of dopamine.
Then there’s the engineering purity of the thing, which makes the current crop of vast, hybridised heavyweight supercars with unusable 1000bhp-plus outputs seem bloated, boorish and beyond contempt. No rival to the T50 can carry three adults while also tipping the scales at under 1000kg and taking up no more room on the road than a Porsche Boxster. As a packaging marvel, it’s up there with the original Mini. There is a catch, however. At £2.8 million the T50 is outlandishly priced, even by the standards of this rarefied market sector.
Even the more – cough – affordable T33 will leave a £1.6m-sized hole in a hedge fund manager’s wallet. Of course, this is a lottery-winning, money-no-object category, so these things don’t matter. That said, it doesn’t stop me hoping that Murray will take inspiration from his beloved personal Lotus Elan, Smart Roadster and Midas Gold (remember those?) and apply some of the T50 magic to a truly affordable driver’s car. If my numbers come up, then I’ll happily provide some development capital.
Spec highlights GMA T50, £2,800,000, 664bhp, 353lb ft, 0-62mph Less than 3.0sec (est), top speed 226mph
Ferrari 296 Speciale: Takes the 296 GTB and makes it better in every respect – no mean feat
The sheer exuberance of the 296 Speciale, when driven with almost childish abandon on an empty race track, is enough for any hybrid-supercar sceptic to see the light. There is something of the invisible hand guiding you as you squeeze the throttle for theatrical yaw on the exit of fourth-gear bends. A car with 550bhp per tonne and what is, say the engineers, a psychotically small polar moment of inertia shouldn’t be this friendly and easy to manipulate. The fact that it is – and we should be honest about the presence of world-class electronics working away behind the scenes, whatever mode you’re in – makes the 296 Speciale one of the most scintillating driving machines of the past 20 years.
The other side of the coin is on-road appeal. And boy oh boy has Ferrari dropped the ball here. Only joking. One thing that makes the 296 Speciale’s controllability at the limit of its handling envelope so breathtaking is the fact that it also rides beautifully for a ‘hardcore special’. This is true to the extent that 911 GT3 owners, if offered a go in one of these Ferraris, would find it an enlightening experience, I’m sure. It’s an absurdly, gloriously complete supercar.
Spec highlights Ferrari 296 Speciale, £359,779, 868bhp, 0-62mph 2.8sec, top speed 206mph, 31.7mpg
Porsche 911 GT3: Simply does it all while feeling incredibly special – particularly in Touring form with the manual gearbox
Some say the 911 can’t be a supercar: it’s too usable and you see too many of them. But it has won Autocar’s yearly Britain’s Best Driver’s Car competition more than any other car. The current GT3 version also has the most exciting engine-gearbox combination this side of the GMA T50 and a chassis that can play the engaging road car before setting a blistering lap time or holding incredible angles of oversteer. Its relative ubiquity just shows that Porsche has made a better supercar.
Spec highlights Porsche 911 GT3, £185,200, 503bhp, 332lb ft, 0-62mph 3.9sec, top speed 194mph, 20.6mpg
Ferrari 849 Testarossa: Looks and drives like nothing else
Ferrari likes a distinction between complexity and complication. The 849 Testarossa, with a plug-in hybrid powertrain and three electric motors alongside its turbocharged V8 engine, is very complex. But it doesn’t feel it to drive, because its breathtaking performance is extremely accessible, as is its handling. It’s a great road car as well as a great track car, with communicative steering and a brilliantly composed chassis that engages and enthrals in equal measure. One of Ferrari’s best.
Spec highlights Ferrari 849 Testarossa, £407,617, 1036bhp, 842lb ft, 0-62mph 2.3sec, top speed 205mph, 30.4mpg
Chevrolet Corvette Z06: A late-20th-century supercar in an electrified 21st-century market, full of drama, noise and feel
It has become quite hard to find supercars that look, sound, drive and feel like supercars used to. In 2026, even the mid-engined exotics from Ferrari and Lamborghini employ turbochargers and hybrid powertrains. Does that make them lesser driving machines? Clearly, plenty of people habitually claim that to be the case (although few of those people would say the same after a proper, flat-out test drive in a 296 GTB or Temerario, I can assure you).
The Corvette Z06 is where you look if you want the 20th-century option. It’s a long way from antediluvian: carbonfibre-rich bodywork and spaceframe construction see to that. But power comes from a 5.5-litre V8 with a cross-plane crank that, even in European-market trim, revs to the far side of 8500rpm and produces well in excess of 600bhp – without a hint of forced induction or an electric motor in sight. This isn’t the kind of burbling V8 you might expect to find in an American sports car but instead one with razor-sharp throttle response and a rapacious appetite for speed and revs.
Keep your foot in beyond 6000rpm and you’ll discover a car with a Hyde side to rival anything built in Italy. Because it’s a Corvette, you also get plenty of cargo space for touring too, and a removable roof panel that makes the car both coupé and convertible all in one. The Z06 is effusive, alternative and sensational but usable and versatile as well.
Spec highlights Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Coupé, £183,175, 637bhp, 439lb ft, 0-62mph 3.1sec, top speed 195mph, 17.1mpg
